Shapsug dialect 📖 Wikipedia

The Shapsug dialect (Adyghe: Шапсыгъабзэ; Kabardian: Шапсыгъэбзэ) is a dialect of Adyghe.^[1] The Shapsug dialect is spoken by the Shapsugs, which are one of the largest Circassian population in the diaspora outside Republic of Adygea, alongside Abzakhs. The Shapsug dialect is very similar to the Natukhai dialect and together, they make the Black Sea coast dialects of Adyghe. The Shapsug dialect consists of three main sub dialects: Great Shapsug (North Shapsug), Small Shapsug (South Shapsug) and Hakuchi. The Shapsug dialect is best known as the dialect with palatalized velar stops.

• The Black Sea coast dialects
  • Natukhai dialect (Adyghe: Нэтӏхъуаджэбзэ)
  • Shapsug dialect (Adyghe: Шапсыгъабзэ)
    • North Shapsugs, Great Shapsugs, Kuban Shapsugs dialect (Шапсыгъэ шху).
      • Kfar Kama dialect (Кфар Камэм ишапсыгъэбзэ): Shapsug dialect spoken by the villagers of Kfar Kama in Israel.
    • South Shapsugs, Small Shapsugs, Coastal Shapsugs Black Sea Shapsugs (Шапсыгъэ-цӏыкӏу) dialect.
  • Hakuchi dialect (ХьакӀуцубзэ, Къарацхаибзэ)

Note on Orthography: This article employs Cyrillic characters alongside IPA to assist readers familiar with the Circassian alphabet. However, standard Adyghe orthography contains inconsistencies; notably, the digraph кӏ represents the sound [t͡ʃʼ] despite visually suggesting a velar ejective [kʼ]. To ensure phonetic precision, this article utilizes the following distinctions: чӏ for [t͡ʃʼ], чӏъ for [ʈʂʼ], and кӏь for [kʲʼ].

In the Shapsug and Natukhai dialects there is a palatalized voiced velar stop [ɡʲ] ⟨гь⟩, a palatalized voiceless velar stop [kʲ] ⟨кь⟩ and a palatalized velar ejective [kʲʼ] ⟨кӏь⟩ that were merged with дж [d͡ʒ], ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in most Adyghe dialects.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} The Shapsug dialect also has ч [t͡ʃ], дж [d͡ʒ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in words like чэмы "cow", джэмышх "spoon" and кӏалэ "boy".

• Shapsug гь [ɡʲ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in other dialects:

• Shapsug кь [kʲ] became ч [t͡ʃ] in other dialects:

• Shapsug кӏь [kʲʼ] became кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in other dialects:

The retroflex affricate consonants чъ [ʈʂ] and чӏ [ʈʂʼ] (that exist in Chemguy and Bzhedug dialects) merged with the palato-alveolar affricate consonants ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in the Shapsug and Natukhai dialects.^[8][9]

• Chemguy чъ [ʈʂ] became ч [t͡ʃ] in Shapsug :

• Chemguy чӏ [ʈʂʼ] became кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in Shapsug :

In the Great Shapsug dialect (Like Bzhedug dialect) in some cases the consonants н [n], м [m] and р [r] are dropped and are not pronounced.^[10]

• The consonant м [m] is dropped before bilabial stops б [b], п [p], пӏ [pʼ] :

• The consonant н [n] is dropped before postalveolar affricates дж [d͡ʒ], ч [t͡ʃ], кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] and before alveolar stops д [d], т [t], тӏ [tʼ] :

Notes:

^1In other Adyghe dialects (ex. Abzakh), it is хьантIрэпIий or хьантIэрэпIий which is much similar to the Shapsug word.

• The consonant р [r] is dropped before a voiceless alveolar stop т [t] :

Notes:

^1In other Adyghe dialects (ex. Abzakh), it is хьантӏыркъуакъу which is much similar to the Shapsug and Kabardian word. In the Shapsug variant, the consonant р [r] is dropped.

The aspirated consonants originally existed in the Proto-Circassian language, which maintained a strict distinction between aspirated and tense variants of voiceless consonants. While these sounds were lost or shifted in most modern dialects, they successfully survived in the Shapsug, Bzhedug, and Hatuqay dialects.

In these dialects, there exists a series of aspirated consonants (/pʰ/ /tʰ/ /ʃʰ/ /t͡sʰ/ /t͡ʃʰ/ /t͡ʂʰ/ /t͡ɕʷʰ/ /kʲʰ/ /kʷʰ/ /qʰ/ /qʷʰ/) that became plain consonants in other dialects:^[11][12]

• Shapsug, Bzhedug & Hatuqay пʰ [pʰ] ↔ п [p] in other dialects :

• Shapsug, Bzhedug & Hatuqay тʰ [tʰ] ↔ т [t] in other dialects :

• Shapsug, Bzhedug & Hatuqay цʰ [t͡sʰ] ↔ ц [t͡s] in other dialects :

• Shapsug, Bzhedug & Hatuqay шʰ [ʃʰ] ↔ щ [ɕ] in other Adyghe dialects :

• Shapsug кьʰ [kʲʰ] ↔ ч [t͡ʃ] in other dialects (чʰ [t͡ʃʰ] in Bzhedug & Hatuqay) :

• Shapsug, Bzhedug & Hatuqay кʰу [kʷʰ] ↔ ку [kʷ] in other dialects :

• Shapsug, Bzhedug & Hatuqay къʰ [qʰ] ↔ къ [q] in other Adyghe dialects. Note: In many Shapsug dialects (such as Kfar Kama), this became the fricative хъ [χ], while in Natukhai and Hatuqay it became the affricate кхъ [q͡χ].

• Shapsug, Bzhedug & Hatuqay къуʰ [qʷʰ] ↔ къу [qʷ] in other Adyghe dialects. Note: In Shapsug dialects, this became хъу [χʷ], while in Natukhai and Hatuqay it became кхъу [q͡χʷ].

• Shapsug, Bzhedug & Hatuqay чъʰу [t͡ɕʷʰ] ↔ чу [t͡ʃʷ] (spelled цу) in Temirgoy:

In Proto-Circassian, there was a clear distinction between aspirated and tense variants of voiceless consonants. The tense variants survived in western dialects like Shapsug, Hatuqay, Bzhedug, and Chemguy (Temirgoy). In linguistics literature, these tense consonants are often represented with a colon (e.g., tː) to denote gemination/tenseness, and in some Cyrillic orthographies, they are represented with double letters (e.g., пп, тт, цц) or with a colon (e.g., п:, т:, ц:).

In the eastern dialects (Besleney and Kabardian), the tense variants shifted and became voiced.

• pː ⟨п: / пп⟩ → b ⟨б⟩
• tː ⟨т: / тт⟩ → d ⟨д⟩
• t͡sː ⟨ц: / цц⟩ → d͡z ⟨дз⟩
• t͡ɕːʷ ⟨цу: / цуцу⟩ → v ⟨в⟩
• kːʲ ⟨кь: / кькь⟩ → ɡʲ ⟨гь⟩ / d͡ʒ ⟨дж⟩
• kːʷ ⟨ку: / куку⟩ → ɡʷ ⟨гу⟩
• t͡ʃː ⟨ч: / чч⟩ → d͡ʒ ⟨дж⟩ / ʒ ⟨ж⟩
• t͡ʂː ⟨чъ: / чъчъ⟩ → d͡ʐ ⟨джъ⟩ / ʒ ⟨ж⟩

In some Shapsug and Natukhai dialects there exist an alveolar ejective fricative [sʼ] ⟨сӏ⟩ that correspond to [t͡sʼ] ⟨цӏ⟩ in other dialects such as Abzakh, Bzhedug, Temirgoy, and Kabardian.^[13]

• Shapsug сӏ [sʼ] ↔ цӏ [t͡sʼ] in other dialects:

The labialized retroflex consonants шъу [ʂʷ] and жъу [ʐʷ] in the Temirgoy dialect are alveolo-palatal щу [ɕʷ] and жьу [ʑʷ] in the Black Sea coast dialects of Adyghe (Shapsug dialect and Natukhai dialect).

• Shapsug щу [ɕʷ] ↔ шъу [ʂʷ] in Standard:

• Shapsug жьу [ʑʷ] ↔ жъу [ʐʷ] in Standard:

The Shapsug and Natukhai dialects has many different variants. The following differences apply to some of them.

• Shapsug с [s] ↔ ц [t͡s] in Standard:

• Shapsug шъухъу [ʃʷχʷ] ↔ шхъу [ʃχʷ] in Standard:

• Shapsug р [r] ↔ н [n] in Standard:

• Shapsug ф [f] ↔ м [m] in Standard:

• Shapsug ц [t͡s] ↔ с [s] in Standard:

In the Bzhedugh, Hatuqay and Shapsug dialects, a specific consonant hardening process known as affrication occurs. During this process, softer "sh" sounds (palato-alveolar fricatives) harden into "ch" sounds (affricates) whenever they directly follow the sibilant consonants ⟨с⟩ [s] or ⟨шъу⟩ [ʃʷ].

To understand this, it helps to think of a similar unwritten sound change in English involving the letters dr and tr. Even though it isn't spelled this way, drink, drop, and dragon are naturally pronounced with a "j-r" sound instead of a hard "d-r". Similarly, tree, true, and trust are pronounced with a "ch-r" sound instead of a "t-r". In these Adyghe dialects, the combination of these specific consonants naturally hardens in speech in the exact same way.

Importantly, this sound change is not written, but is pronounced. Standard Adyghe spelling keeps the original letters, but speakers of these dialects will automatically pronounce the hardened versions.

Specifically, the following base letter changes take place:

• ⟨ш⟩ and ⟨щ⟩ harden into ⟨ч⟩.
• ⟨шъ⟩ hardens into ⟨чъ⟩.
• ⟨шӏ⟩ hardens into ⟨чӏ⟩.
• ⟨шъу⟩ hardens into ⟨чъу⟩.
• ⟨шӏу⟩ hardens into ⟨чӏу⟩.

Pronunciation Rules In grammar, this process is almost exclusively triggered when attaching the first-person singular prefix с- (I/me) or the second-person plural prefix шъу- (you all) to a word.

Here are all the possible combinations where this sound change occurs:

When the change occurs The change only happens when the triggering prefix directly touches the affected consonant.

When the change does NOT occur If there is a vowel in between the letters, or if a different consonant prefix is used, the sound does not harden.

Comprehensive Examples Below are extensive examples comparing the standard orthography with the spoken affrication in the Bzhedugh, Hatuqay and Shapsug dialects, demonstrating both the 1st Person Singular (с-) and 2nd Person Plural (шъу-) grammatical forms.

To understand the unique role of the Shapsug dynamic prefix рэ- (ra-), it must be placed within the broader context of Proto-Circassian morphology. In Proto-Circassian, the dynamic prefix is reconstructed as *wa- (уэ-). This verbal morpheme spans across several grammatical categories, but its primary function is strictly to indicate that a verb is operating in the positive, dynamic, present tense.^[14] 

As the languages diverged, this prefix underwent distinct phonological shifts across the standard branches:

• West Circassian (Standard Adyghe): Shifted to -э- ([-a-])
• East Circassian (Standard Kabardian): Shifted to -о- ([-o-])

Normally, the morphological placement of this dynamic prefix falls between the personal pronoun prefixes and the verb root. For example, in the 1st person present tense, the dynamic prefix attaches directly to the personal pronoun: 

• Standard Adyghe: сэ с-э-кӏо (I go)
• Standard Kabardian: сэ с-о-кӏуэ (I go)

A significant structural mutation occurs across all dialects in monovalent intransitive verbs when conjugated for the third person (he/she/it/they). Because the third-person absolutive index in Circassian is a null prefix (∅-), the dynamic prefix is forced into the absolute word-initial position. 

Circassian phonotactics do not permit the standard dynamic vowels (-э- or -о-) to stand alone at the beginning of a word without a preceding consonant. Consequently, the prefix mutates into мэ- (ma-) in both the West and East branches (e.g., ∅-э-кӏо mutates to макӏо).^[15] 

This behavior establishes the dynamic prefix in the positive present tense. In these forms, мэ- acts as the 3rd person dynamic prefix, and -э- (or -о- in Kabardian) acts as the 1st/2nd person dynamic prefix.

The Drop Rule in Standard Dialects: In Standard Adyghe and Standard Kabardian, the dynamic prefix is highly restricted. While it is clearly present in the present tense (as shown above), it drops out entirely from the verb complex in non-present tenses (like the past and future) and in negative forms. 

When the dynamic prefix is omitted, the мэ- mutation naturally disappears alongside it, leaving the bare verb root exposed in the 3rd person. The following table illustrates this absence in the standard dialects, demonstrating how the prefix vanishes when leaving the positive present tense:

This phenomenon of exposing the bare verb root is where the Shapsug dialect dramatically diverges. Instead of leaving the verb root bare when the standard dynamic prefix drops out, Shapsug introduces and retains a unique dialectal dynamic prefix: рэ- (ra-). 

In environments where standard dialects have nothing (past tense, negative polarity, conditionals, conjunctions), Shapsug explicitly attaches рэ-. This creates a sharp morphological contrast. Where Standard Adyghe and Kabardian expose the bare root in negative and past forms, Shapsug protects the root with the рэ- prefix:^[16]

Because of this retention mechanism, the рэ- prefix permeates the Shapsug verbal system in almost all non-present environments. The following table outlines the persistent presence of the Shapsug prefix across various grammatical environments, using the root кӏон/кӏуэн (to go). It demonstrates how the prefix survives alongside particles, conjunctions, and negative suffixes, explicitly compared against the bare roots of Standard Adyghe and Kabardian:^[17]

The following sentences illustrate the practical usage of the Shapsug dynamic prefix рэ- in everyday speech. These examples demonstrate how Standard Adyghe forms omit the dynamic prefix in non-present grammatical environments, whereas Shapsug consistently retains it to protect the verb root.^[18] 

In the instrumental case the noun has the suffix -мгьэ (-mɡʲa) or -гьэ (-gʲa) unlike other dialects that has the suffix -мкӏэ (-mt͡ʃa) or -кӏэ (-t͡ʃa).^[19]

• Shapsug: Кӏалэр Адыгэбзэгьэ мэгущаӏэ ↔ Standard: Кӏалэр Адыгэбзэкӏэ мэгущаӏэ - "The boy speaks (using) Adyghe language".
• Shapsug: Къэлэмымгьэ сэтхэ ↔ Standard: Къэлэмымкӏэ сэтхэ - "I write (using) with the pencil".

In the Shapsug dialect, the suffix ~рагъу /raːʁʷ/ is added to verbs to indicate the desirement to do that verb. For example:^[20]

• Туканым сыкӏорагъу - "I want to go to the shop".
• Есыпӏэм рэкӏорэгъуагъ - "(S)he wanted to go to the pool".
• Къэкӏорэгъот кӏалэр - "The boy would want to come".
• Тутын уешъорагъуа? - "Do you want to smoke cigarette?".
• Нэущы уздэгущаӏэрагъу - "I want to speak with you tomorrow".
• Сышхэрагъу игь - "I want to eat now".

In Standard Adyghe, to express that the verb's direction is upward, the prefix дэ- /da-/ and the suffix -е /-ja/ is added to the verb. In Shapsug dialect, the prefix чӏэ- /t͡ʃʼa-/ is added instead.^[21]

Shapsug has six primary demonstratives used to indicate spatial proximity, visibility, and mutual understanding. These frequently act as determiners preceding nouns or as prefixes attached to verbs and adverbs.^[22] 

The six demonstratives are: а /ʔaː/, гьэ /gʲa/, у /wə/, дыу /dəwə/, дымы /dəmə/, and мы /mə/.

• а /ʔaː/ – That (invisible)

  а ӏанэ — that table

  а пшъашъэ — that girl

  а кӏалэм еӏо — that boy is saying

• > The determiner а refers to a referent that is far away and invisible to both the speaker and the listener(s). 

• у /wə/ – That (visible)

  у ӏанэ — that table

  у пшъашъэ — that girl

  у кӀалэм еӀо — that boy is saying

• > The determiner у refers to a referent that is visible and at a known distance. Both the speaker and listener can see the referent. This replaces the standard Adyghe visible demonstrative мо (/mo/).

• мы /mə/ – This

  мы ӏанэ — this table

  мы пшъашъэ — this girl

  мы кӀалэм еӀо — this boy is saying

  мы мэгъэ — this year

• > The determiner мы refers to a referent that is in close proximity to both the speaker and the listener(s).

• дыу /dəwə/ – That (over there)

  дыу ӏанэ — that table over there

  дыу пшъашъэ — that girl over there

  дыу кӀалэм еӀо — that boy over there is saying

  дыу цӀыфэр улъэгъуа? — Do you see that person over there?

• > The determiner дыу refers to a visible referent, emphasizing its specific location in the speaker's sight, often accompanied by pointing. It is frequently used to introduce a new referent. Etymologically, дыу derives from a contraction of удэ у (there + that).

• дымы /dəmə/ – This (over here)

  дымы ӏанэ — this table over here

  дымы пшъашъэ — this girl over here

  дымы кӀалэм еӀо — this boy over here is saying

  дымы цӀыфэр улъэгъуа? — Do you see this person over here?

• > The determiner дымы is the close-proximity counterpart to дыу. It is used when the visible referent is very near, often accompanied by pointing or directing attention within a shared space (like a room). Etymologically, дымы derives from a contraction of мыдэ мы (here + this). 

• гьэ /gʲa/ – That (shared knowledge)

  гьэ ӏанэ — that table

  гьэ пшъашъэ — that girl

  гьэ кӏалэм еӏо — that boy is saying

• > The determiner гьэ refers to a referent that is typically invisible but previously established in the conversation. It emphasizes that both the speaker and the listener have the exact same referent in mind. This replaces the standard Adyghe джэ (/d͡ʒa/).

A defining feature of the Shapsug dialect is the use of the labial glide у [w] as the visible demonstrative, entirely replacing the standard Adyghe мо. When combined with locative, adverbial, or instrumental suffixes, this creates a distinct set of demonstrative vocabulary.^[23] 

The following table illustrates these derivations across dialects:

The practical application of the у vs. мо distinction can be seen in conversational contexts. Notice how Shapsug also utilizes the instrumental -гьэ where standard Adyghe uses -кӏэ.^[24]

In the Great Shapsug sub dialect (like Bzhedug) the future tense suffix is ~эт (~at) and in some cases ~ыт (~ət) unlike the Small Shapsug sub dialect that has (like Chemirguy) the Suffix ~щт (~ɕt)).^[25]

In standard Adyghe, present participles decline using standard nominal case suffixes.^[26][27] However, the Shapsug, Bzhedugh, and Hatuqai dialects feature a distinct phonological elision in the absolutive case, where the final absolutive suffix -р (-r) is not pronounced. Consequently, absolutive present participles in these dialects end simply in -рэ instead of the standard -рэр. For example, the standard Adyghe phrase кӏалэу кӏорэр ("the boy who is going") is realized in these dialects as кӏалэу кӏорэ.

Furthermore, the Shapsug dialect has unique morphological additions for these participles. Shapsug adds the prefix рэ- (ra-) to the forms.^[28]

The word "what" in Standard Adyghe is сыд while in Shapsug it is шъыд and from it derives different terms.^[29]

Shapsug has two words for "what":

• шъыд (Refers to an inanimate object, typically tangible).
• лӏэу (Refers to an inanimate object, typically intangible).

The word "лӏэу" was lost in other Adyghe dialects. In Shapsug, from it derives different terms :

Shapsugs also have different interrogative words from the word тэ "which":

The demonstrative мо- in standard Adyghe is у- in Shapsug.^[30]

• The standard Adyghe's suffix -шхо /-ʃxʷa/ which means big or mighty is -фo /-fˠa/ in the Shapsug dialect^[31][32]:

• The standard Adyghe's positional prefix -жэхэ /-ʒaxa/ which designates action directed at something or someone forcefully is -джэхэ /-d͡ʒaxa/ in the Shapsug dialect :^[33]

• In the Shapsug and Natukhai dialects, the verbal prefix го~ /ɡʷa-/ designates process of joining or merging with an object on a body. This positional conjugation does not exist in other Circassian dialects. for example :^[34]

цум	бжъитӏу	гот
цу-м	бжъ-итӏу	го-т
[t͡sʷəm	bʐəjtʷʼ	ɡʷat]
ox (erg.)	two horns	it have on his body
"the ox have two horns."

шыор	шым	гос
шыо-р	шы-м	го-с
[ʃəwar	ʃəm	ɡʷas]
the horseman (abs.)	horse (erg.)	(s)he is sitting on a body
"the horseman is sitting on the horse."

лӏыжъым	зылъакъо	готэп
лӏыжъы-м	зы-лъакъо	го-тэ-п
[ɬʼəʐəm	zəɬaːqʷa	ɡʷatap]
the old man (erg.)	one leg	(s)he doesn't have on his body
"the old man doesn't have one leg."

шым	зеохьыжьым	кӏалэу	госэр	гозэгъ
шы-м	зеохьы-жь-ым	кӏалэ-у	го-сэ-р	го-зэ-гъ
[ʃəm	zajwaħəʑəm	t͡ʃʼaːɮaw	ɡʷasar	ɡʷazaʁ]
house (erg.)	to get out of control	boy (adv.)	the one on the body	(s)he fell off the body
"when the horse got out of control the boy sitting on it fell."

In the imperative mood of the Shapsug dialect, unlike the literary Adyghe language, the vowel sound of the stem is generally preserved.^[35]

The Adyghe verb includes not only personal indicators of the subject and object, but also affixes indicating the spatial position of the object, as well as a number of other formants expressing additional features of the course of the action. In terms of the composition of such formants, the Adyghe verb resembles an entire sentence.^[36]

The presence of the affix -ф- gives the word шIэн ("to do") a new lexical meaning, which cannot be conveyed by the affix шъу-.

One of the important circumstantial affixes is the formant of cause and purpose. In the Adyghe literary language, чIэ- is used, while in the Kabardian language, шIэ- is used (tracing back to the preverb чIэ-). The peculiarity of the Shapsug dialect lies in the fact that the circumstance of cause and purpose is expressed by the formant -ф- or a zero morpheme (as in the Bzhedug dialect) as a replacement for the formant чIэ-.^[37]

Exception in interrogative sentences: In the Shapsug dialect, interrogative sentences do not contain circumstantial particles expressing cause. In such cases, causal-purpose relations can be expressed by the formant чIэ-, similarly to the literary language.

In an infinite verb, the circumstance of time is expressed by the suffix -чIэ- in combination with the relative pronoun з- or the suffix -м and the pronoun з-.^[38]

In the Shapsug dialect, the affixes з — м are predominantly used to express time. A verb with these affixes is infinite, so a finite verb (present, future, or past tense) must necessarily be present in the sentence.

The formant -зд- denotes the circumstance of place (where to; where from; where). In the Shapsug dialect, зыщ and здыщ are used for this. In the Shapsug dialect, the specification of the meaning of the pronoun з- by preverbs is carried out more consistently than in the literary language.^[39]

The circumstance of condition in the literary language is expressed by the affix з—чI (less often з—м), whereas in the Shapsug dialect it is denoted exclusively by means of з—м.^[40]

In the Adyghe literary language, the formants of infiniteness are: -и, -шъ, -эу, -ти and others. The affixes -и, -ти, -шъ indicate that the action of the infinite verb precedes the action of the finite verb, while the affix -эу expresses an action that occurs simultaneously with the action of the finite verb.^[41]

In the Shapsug dialect, the affix -шъ is completely absent and is replaced by others, with the most common affixes of infiniteness being -и and -ри. By the method of expressing infiniteness, the Shapsug dialect is close to the Kabardian language.^[42]

Infiniteness in the Shapsug dialect exhibits many unique affix replacements:

In the Shapsug dialect, a peculiar form is derived from the stem of present tense participles by means of the affix -гъу, which indicates the desire of the speaker. For example, from the intransitive verb кIуэн ("to go") comes кIуэр ("going"), and from that кIуэрагъу ("he is wishing to go"). From the transitive verb къыщэн ("to bring") comes къыщэрагъу ("he is wishing to bring him").^[43]

This participial form changes by person like a subjective participle (e.g., сыкIуэрагъу — "I am wishing to go", укIуэрагъу — "you are wishing to go"). However, it does not change by tenses; the time of the action is denoted with the help of the auxiliary verb хъуын ("to become") (e.g., сыкIуэрагъоу сыхъущт — "I will be wishing to go"). The Temirgoy and other dialects lack this morphological form, and the speaker's desire in those dialects is expressed descriptively (e.g., сыкIуэнэу сыфай — "I want to go").

The affirmative particle -а is observed in the Shapsug dialect in both static and dynamic verbs. It often appears in exclamatory sentences, where the affirmative meaning is further underscored by the amplifying particles -е and -ет.^[44]

In the Adyghe literary language in interrogative-affirmative forms, a question is expressed through intonation and the interrogative particle -а. In the Shapsug dialect, the interrogative particle -а can be absent in interrogative sentences, and the question is then expressed solely by intonation, which differs significantly from other dialects: due to the absence of the particle -а, the vowel of the last stressed syllable is lengthened, typically without sharp rises and falls in pitch.^[45]

When addressing names that designate individuals, they sometimes end in -а in the Shapsug dialect. If the name already ends in a vowel, this sound is placed under stress when addressed. Unlike the literary language, amplifying particles like е and ет are observed, and the names of pagan gods act as amplifying-confirming particles, such as Емыш (god of sheep breeding) and Лъэпщ (god of blacksmithing).^[46]

A unique rearrangement of the conjunction -рэ is observed in the Shapsug dialect. Typically, -рэ attaches to the stem of words, but in Shapsug, -рэ is placed *before* the determinative suffix -м, though speakers do not notice this rearrangement and correct inquiries to the literary sequence.^[47]

The repeating conjunction -и can appear as -икIь, similar to the Kabardian language. Negative pronouns are formed by adding the numeral "one" or pronoun stems with the conjunction -кIь, instead of -и as in other dialects:

The conjunction нэмыIэми ("although") is presented in three ways in Shapsug: мыIэми ("although"), нэмыIэми (like in literary), and ныIэмыIэми.

The Adyghe language is characterized by a wealth of interjections, particularly onomatopoeic ones. In the Shapsug dialect, many interjections modify based on conditions and the nature of the sound being imitated.^[48]

These onomatopoeic interjections are widely used in riddles in the Shapsug dialect.

The alphabet used as the language of writing and literature in Shapsug national raion and Kfar Kama between 1924 and 1945^[49] is as follows:

• Hakuchi Adyghe dialect
• Hatuqay dialect
• Bzhedug Adyghe dialect
• Abzakh Adyghe dialect
• Baslaney dialect

Look up Category:Shapsug West Circassian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Kerasheva, Z. I. (1957). Особенности шапсугского диалекта адыгейского языка [Features of the Shapsug Dialect of the Adyghe Language] (in Russian). Maykop: Adyghe Book Publishing House (Адыгейское книжное издательство).